On Safari with Lyn and Ian

Week 1 - Mabamba Swamp, Kidepo Valley National Park and Sipi Falls

Jenny’s sister Lyn and cousin Ian have come for a two week visit and it coincides with school holidays so it’s safari time.

After a rest day we headed down to Mabamba Swamp for a Shoebill.  One was quickly found and we watched it unsuccessfully lunge for a fish then take to the air.  The highlight for me was a great sighting of a Papyrus Gonolek on our third attempt.

Shoebill expecting a lungfish but getting roots and mud.

Papyrus Gonolek

Next we headed off to Uganda’s most remote national park - Kidepo Valley in the far north-east corner.  This is a two day drive from Kampala and we hired a safari company car and driver to handle everything for us.

Straw-coloured Fruit-bats

First night was in a little hotel in Kitgum called Fugly’s with a tree full of Straw-coloured Fruit-bats.  Next day we reached Kidepo and Nga’Moru Lodge where we stayed 3 nights.  We did several game drives and a 3-hour walk with an armed ranger.  All good fun with lots of mammals and birds.  The scenery is spectacular - similar to the Grampians NP back home but much drier, wider valleys and buffalo.

View from our lodge hut verandah into Kidepo Valley NP

Abyssinian Roller

The birding at the lodge was good as well but I was unsure how safe it was to walk far.  We saw three lions in the park not too far from the lodge and a buffalo was near our cabin one morning.

He looks good from this angle but was actually rather skinny.

From Kidepo we headed south to Sipi Falls on the slopes of Mount Elgon NP.  Our stay here was far too short but Lyn and Ian appreciated the walk up the falls and through the village.  I appreciated the birds around Sipi River Lodge and saw my first African Dwarf Kingfisher - a young bird with an adult in occasional attendance.

View of Sipi Falls from our room window

African Dwarf Kingfisher (juvenile)

Today Jenny and I battled endless traffic jams in Kampala to collect a hire car.  We’ve decided our little Rav4 is a bit unreliable to take far from home so we have hired an elderly but perfectly serviceable Toyota Land Cruiser.  Tomorrow we are off to Lake Mburo NP for three nights followed by a couple of nights at Kipling Lodge.  Can’t wait!

More photos from week 1 are on my Flickr page.